On June 6, 1933 the first ever drive-in movie theater, Park-In Theaters located on Crescent Boulevard in Camden, NJ, opened for business.

The idea for a drive-in movie theater was introduced by Richard Hollingshead, who was an avid movie lover and a sales manager at his father’s car parts store. Hollingshead conceived the notion of a movie theater out in the open air where people could enjoy films from their own vehicles.

The original slogan of the Park-In Theaters was “The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are.” Hollingshead charged 25 cents per vehicle and 25 cents per movie-goer with the total charge capped at no more than $1.00. Park-In Theaters was only open for a short time, but was able to rouse a niche industry that would boast more than 4,000 drive-in theaters during its hey-day in the 50s and 60s.

Celebrate the anniversary of the first drive-in movie theater by checking your local events calendar for drive-in movies near you!